Kristen and John had a beautiful wedding at the new Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. I've shot a handful of weddings in Palos Verdes this year and have never seen it get so cold on the cliffs before. The day started out warm and bright and just before the ceremony the fog rolled in- and I am telling the honest truth when I say I have never felt so cold in my life! It was like I was in snow in my swimsuit. My fingers were freezing as I clicked the shutter and I kept chanting to myself, "Pretend your in the desert....pretend your in the desert..." But we all made it through and got some gorgeous images overlooking the Terranea bluffs. I'm going to start a new thing... every wedding I shoot is different. Nothing ever unfolds exactly alike, no ceremony is identical, and no bride and groom are equal- after every wedding I learn something new. I am going to start adding in little tips for you guys in hopes that you'll create a picture-perfect wedding day and realize that there are a lot of factors that contribute to getting great photos and it's not just the photographer!

Tip for great photos: Having your ceremony overlooking the ocean is beautiful but be warned- unless the fog rolls in, there is cloud coverage, or you schedule your ceremony directly before sunset the light is going to be bright and harsh- you'll most likely be photographed squinting and will have shadows on your face. Make sure to talk to your photographer about your lighting conditions before setting everything in stone if beautiful evenly lit photos is your cup of tea!

Thanks to Kim Fox for referring this wedding to Heather, and to Heather for having me out to lend a hand!